


The Girl & the Dove

by JujYFru1T



Series: Tumblr scribblings [3]
Category: Original Work
Genre: Fantasy, For a Friend, Gen, Long Live Feedback Comment Project, Originally Posted on Tumblr
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-03-01
Updated: 2015-03-01
Packaged: 2018-03-15 17:23:47
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 937
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3455546
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JujYFru1T/pseuds/JujYFru1T
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A sort-of fairy tale.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Girl & the Dove

**Author's Note:**

  * For [portraitofagirl](https://archiveofourown.org/users/portraitofagirl/gifts).



> I was inspired, as I often am, by my dear [Arely](http://portraitofa-girl.tumblr.com/). <3 you always~

There once was a portrait of a girl. It hung on an old mansion wall, which faced a window. This window overlooked the garden, where flowers and plants of all kinds grew.

The girl had wanted to leave her frame for a very long time. Even when the mansion had been vibrant and lived in, and many people would stop by and admire her and praise her beauty… even then, she’d wondered and dreamed about the garden outside her window, what the scents and the grass under her feet and the wind in her hair would be like. But she had a duty, and she upheld it.

The years went by, coming to this point, where the mansion sat long abandoned, ivy-covered and window-cracking. And despite having waiting so long for this chance, the girl’s courage had disappeared. No matter how hard she tried, or how often she imagining smelling the roses that grew in their bush just under the windowsill yards away, she couldn’t retrieve it.

One spring day, a dove flew through the window (through the upper panel where the glass had fallen out some time ago), and alighted on a sconce next to the portrait of a girl.

“Hello,” said the dove to the girl.

The girl, quite surprised, took a moment to say hello in return.

“Why are you alone inside when it’s such a nice day out?” asked the dove.

“I can’t leave,” the girl said.

The dove cocked its head questioningly.

“I… don’t know how to leave my frame.”

“When was the last time you left?”

“I never have,” said the girl.

“Hmm.” The dove cooed thoughtfully. “That’s unfortunate.”

The girl crossed her arms. “Why are you here, anyway?” she asked, eyes narrowing. “To ask questions and state the obvious?”

The dove fluffed its feathers. “I’ve passed by here several times, you know,” it said, crossly. “My curiosity finally got the better of me and I thought I’d find out why you’d stay cooped up in this dusty old place rather than come outside.”

“I wouldn’t if I had a choice.”

“But you do! You can leave whenever you’d like. Like this.”

And the dove flew out the window.

The dove didn’t return until the next day.

“Do you usually leave in the middle of conversations?” the girl inquired, straight-faced, as the dove landed again on the sconce.

“Hhr.”

“What?” The girl noticed the dove held something in its beak. She reached out a hand. “You’ll have to come closer. I can’t reach.”

“Mff.” The dove fluttered in front of the girl’s frame, not coming any closer. With a sigh the girl stepped forward, stretching out her arm, and took the strawberry from the dove.

“I went off on a think,” said the dove while she took a bite, “and before I knew it, it was evening. I needed to find a place to roost. I’m sorry.”

“This is delicious,” the girl said, face aglow with rapture.

“There’s more where that came from.”

The strawberry disappeared into her mouth. “Well, let’s go get some more!” The girl took a step—

—and landed face down on the floor.

“My goodness, are you all right?” squawked the dove in alarm.

“Muurgh.” The girl got up, slowly. “I think so. I misjudged the… drop…”

She turned, slowly, to face an empty frame. She felt something clinging to the back of her dress.

“Could you…” she asked of the dove. It flew over, gave a tug (the girl heard something rip), and then alighted on the girl’s shoulder. Into her hand dropped a scrap of canvas.

“…Ah.”

“Congratulations,” the dove said.

The girl walked to the door to the left of the window, and opened it.

She stepped onto the grass. She turned to her right. She walked to the rose bush, bent down and breathed deeply. Then she straightened up, turned to see the garden… and she began to laugh. She laughed enough for the dove to leave her shoulder, laughed until her sides ached, until she’d fallen onto the grass. And then she stared up at the sky and the clouds, until she saw the dove circling around her field of vision. She stretched out a hand for it to land on and sat up carefully.

“Well!” The dove hopped to the girl’s shoulder and began preening grass out of her hair, cooing all the while. The girl was content to sit in the sunshine until her hair was grass-free and smooth once more.

“Now,” said the dove, “let’s find some more strawberries.”

“Good idea,” said the girl. She got up, brushed off her dress, and walked further into the garden.

The dove flew ahead of her, landing in a tree branch. “Follow me,” it said. “There’s a meadow a mile’s walk from here, and strawberries grow nearby… but you must step through there.” The dove gestured with a spread wing.

Ahead of her, the girl could see an archway of trees. She’d never noticed it through her window. Even though the day was sunny, the girl thought she could see mist floating among the trees. Perhaps her eyes were playing tricks on her…

She walked closer, to the entrance of the archway, and mist began curling around her ankles. Her heart beat faster.

“Well!” The dove landed on her shoulder, and she startled. “I’d say it’s time for you to take the first step, but I think you’ve already done that.”

The dove nestled closer to her hair. The girl smiled.

She walked into the mist, moving toward the sunlight at the archway’s end, her heart unafraid and light as a feather.

**Author's Note:**

> This story is part of the [LLF Comment Project](https://longlivefeedback.tumblr.com/llfcommentproject), which was created to improve communication between readers and authors. I invite and appreciate feedback, including:
> 
>   * Short comments
>   * Long comments
>   * Keyboardmash and emojistorm comments
>   * Questions
>   * Constructive criticism
>   * "<3" as extra kudos
>   * Reader-reader interaction
> 

> 
> I also reply to comments. But if you’d rather not receive a reply for any reason, sign your comment with “whisper” and I’ll just squee to myself about it. ^_^  
> Want/need help with something to write? [Find the LLF Comment Builder here!](https://longlivefeedback.tumblr.com/post/170952243543/now-presenting-the-llf-comment-builder-beta)


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